Sometimes, it seems like you take two steps forward, only to take two steps back. That’s how Jackson (Jesse Williams) and April (Sarah Drew) feel right now. On the Thursday, March 24, episode of Grey’s Anatomy, tension between the exes hit its boiling point about 0.2 seconds after Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) took it upon herself to reveal April’s secret to Jackson. It goes without saying this was a terrible move.
How It Came Out
A scene that had been omitted from last week’s episode showed the circumstances under which Arizona confessed. The short version was that Jackson was worried that April knew he had gone on a date. (She didn’t.) Arizona then blurted out, “April’s pregnant!” That was conveniently the moment that April opened the door with the intention of telling him herself.
Naturally, Jackson was irate. “Did you know before the divorce? Did you know before we signed the papers?” he demanded. April admitted that she did.
Meanwhile, Arizona tried to apologize to her former BFF. “I don’t really give a crap,” April snapped, shutting Arizona down. “I will deal with this myself the way I want to, when I want to,” she continued. “Don’t think about me. Don’t talk to me. Don’t even look at me, and I believe in this stuff, so you know how much I mean it when I say go to hell.”
Arizona Confides in Callie … and Miranda … and Amelia
In an attempt to both ease her guilt and strategize a way to fix the mess she’d made, Arizona confided in her friends about what she’d done. Callie (Sara Ramirez) was first. After telling her own ex that she’d told Jackson about April’s news, Arizona looked for some reassurance. “I did the right thing,” she said.
“No,” Callie replied. Arizona then began listing reasons why it was done in the spirit of love, but Callie wasn’t having it. “It doesn’t matter! Just, no!” she shouted. “You screwed this one up, big time.”
Miranda (Chandra Wilson) was next. Before Arizona could even begin, Miranda said she knew what she’d done. “You shared confidential information without permission,” she explained. “Speaking as your boss, that’s a firing offense.” Grasping at straws, Arizona asked her what she thought, as her friend. “I can see where you thought what you were doing was right. That doesn’t make it right. I’m fresh out of words of wisdom for you.”
Finally, Arizona turned to Amelia (Caterina Scorsone), who probably put it best. “You did something indefensible,” she said. “The only thing you can do right now is accept what you did right now was wrong, and the only thing you can do to fix it is to wait. Just give it time, and maybe April will forgive you, and maybe she won’t, but it’s not up to you.”
Meredith Considers a Date with Dr. Thorpe
Unable to avoid Dr. Thorpe any longer, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) claimed that she’d turned down “nicer faces.” (That is debatable, to be fair.) Ultimately, she agreed to drinks — and drinks only — with him for the next day. Though Alex (Justin Chambers) was highly skeptical that Mer would follow through, when the time came, she seemed to be going for it, stepping out of a major surgery to shave her legs, change (into some borrowed clothes from Dr. Shepherd) and try to enjoy a date with an incredibly hot doctor.
Except at the last minute, she didn’t — and she ended up back in the OR instead. Fortunately, Alex was in the surgery, too, and gave her enough of a pep talk to get her back out the door. She didn’t make it to drinks, but she did agree to let Dr. Thorpe drive her home. On the way, they stopped for burgers and fries, which they ate in his car, in the rain. Yes, it was as cute as it sounds. So it wasn’t exactly a home run, but at least Mer is back in the game.
Jackson Rips Into April
Unable to contain his anger any longer, Jackson screamed at April in the middle of the hospital for everyone to hear. He admitted that if she had told him she was pregnant before they’d signed the divorce papers, he would have reconsidered. April shouted back that she knew that, and that was the exact reason she didn’t tell him. “You think I want you staying with me for the baby and hating me for the rest of your life?” she cried.
Instead of easing up, Jackson laid into her even harder. “You want to play that martyr, go for it,” he snapped. “Knock yourself out!” Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr.) broke it up and then returned to offer some advice to Jackson.
“You are having a child — you found out late,” he said before pointing out that he understood exactly how Jackson felt. “I found out decades late.” Jackson took this in, and Webber noted, “What’s important is now, you know. It’s happening, and you need to step up.”
Jackson Tries to Make Peace With April … and Fails
In an effort to put Webber’s advice to use, Jackson showed up at April’s place to talk. Things started fine as he explained, “I just wanted to apologize. I acted badly today, and we’re having a baby who does not deserve to have us arguing over it.”
April noted that arguing was exactly what she had been trying to avoid, and Jackson admitted that he got it, at least in part.
“We can figure this out,” he offered. It sounded like progress — but then April said something that rubbed him the wrong way.
“I waited to tell you because last time tore us apart, literally — neither one of us could help the other, and everyone got hurt,” she said. “I wanted to wait until I knew that everything was okay. I am really sorry, OK? I’m really sorry.” Jackson clarified that she wanted to wait until it was too late to make any real decisions if things weren’t going as they should.
“What about my options?” he asked.
“You don’t count here,” she snapped back. “Yes, you’re the father when there’s a baby, but right now … it’s my body, my baby. You are not my husband — you have no rights here.” Then she slammed the door in his face. Damn.
Tell Us: Do you think April will go through with the pregnancy?
Grey’s Anatomy airs on ABC on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
